They came to our rooms on a nightly basis, flashlights in hand, making sure everyone was present at curfew. They were our R.A.s, also known as resident life assistants, and as long as we lived on campus, we always had one. Many students developed friendships with their R.A.s on a personal level, looking to them for guidance and support at times. For senior R.A.s Lisa DeSpain and Matt Wiseman, this was exactly what made the late-night hours of the job so worthwhile. "I genuinely like every girl in my hall," DeSpain, an R.A. in Pryor Hall, said. "Honestly, I have no complaints. Sometimes the lack of sleep is no fun, but for the most part it has been really good." Both Wiseman and DeSpain were first-time R.A.s, who did not know quite what to expect out of their job when they first began working. "The Friday before school started, our elevator overheated," DeSpain said. "We had to evacuate and declare an emergency. It was scary because we thought the elevator was going to explode, but apparently it had just overheated." Wiseman's first few days on the job included many hours of maintenance. One of the few on Kevin Barnett Biochemistry Kara Beaty Bio Chern & Mol Bio Colton Beaver Management Marcus Bellamy Theatre Hannah Benjamin General Studies Nicole Bennett Child Life Thomas Bennett Sports Mgmt Joanna Blake Health/Kin Coach Lie Wesley Bland Bio Chern & Mol Bio Emily Bohmier History r\i~k fun times campus housing facilities that had not yet undergone a renovation, West Apartments was scheduled to be torn down and replaced with newer housing in the summer of 2012. Until then, Wiseman had his work cut out for him. "The thing about being in West is [that] a lot of things need fixing, like problems with hot water and electricity," Wiseman said. "Random things are just broken in the rooms." In addition to the perks offered by the R.A. position, such as private rooms and a salary, DeSpain commented that a room mix up also served as an incentive to apply for the job. "I found out my room was not available at the last minute, so I talked to Kathy Allen and she told me about the R.A. opening," DeSpain said. Both said the best reward by far, though, was the relationships in the dorms they never would have had otherwise. "I have gotten to know a lot more girls that I probably would have never gotten to meet," DeSpain said. "Being able to be part of something, I feel so much more involved on campus." John Shrable People 221-
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